Genetics Sucks
by Anriko
Summary: Max explores the powers of the Cosmic Cap one night, and gets the shock of his life...


Max held the red baseball cap in his hands, studying it thoughtfully. He'd managed to turn time backwards, thwarting Skullmaster in the process, and return everything to the way it was, memories intact. He and Virgil and Norman -- and probably Skullmaster too -- were the only ones who knew, as far as he was aware of.   
  
He couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to turn back time. Was it simply because he was the Mighty One, prophesied to take down Skullmaster? Or was there something more?  
  
He heard his mother enter the house, then glanced up at the date. It was just a few days before Thanksgiving, and it was time for the annual mood she seemed to get into. He'd long ago guessed that it had to do with his father, although he didn't remember him. His mom had always changed the subject when it came to that  
  
With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the cap, recalling how time had turned around when he'd tried to take it from Skullmaster. "I wonder..." he said slowly. "Maybe… if I concentrate really hard, I'll go back to the past." _And maybe find out about my father_, he thought. With that, he took note of the time -- 7:15pm -- and clapped the cap on his head, closing his eyes and concentrating. _Seven o'clock, seven..._  
  
There was the sensation of being pulled inside out and back again, and it jarred his stomach unnervingly. When the lurching and swaying in his belly settled down, he took a deep breath, and cautiously opened his eyes. 

The clock read seven-oh-one.

* * *

  
Once Max had figured out most of the intricacies of the time traveling -- not to do it on an empty stomach, for example -- he started using it in little ways each day, practicing going back farther and farther. He soon discovered that he could turn invisible, simply by thinking about not wanting to be seen. Later, he did discover that he could go forward in time as well, but not past when he'd left in the first place, although going back forward was considerably harder. It did ease his mind considerably about being late for school -- after all, all he had to do was go back a half-hour and finish getting ready, although he did often wonder if this was affecting the universe somehow. Eventually, he resolved to save it mostly for dire situations and left it at that. Dire situations occasionally including forgetting his homework.

* * *

  
Finally, he was ready. This time he was going to see his father for sure. He'd calculated back about a year and a half from when he was born, and once his mother had gone to bed, he clapped on the Cosmic Cap and concentrated. _April 12, 1979. April 12, 1979..._  
  
The inside out sensation was almost painful this time, but he gritted his teeth and toughed it out. He opened his eyes cautiously and found himself in a bedroom that he didn't at all recognize, a blond chick sleeping next to him With a start, he hastily got up and concentrated on being invisible. He held up his hands, saw nothing, and nodded.Then he stared at the chick again.  
  
He recognized her from the pictures, of course. It was his mother, though about ten years younger. He stifled a snicker at her outfit and quietly retreated into the corner to sit and wait. It wasn't at all long before someone else came in the room, a tall man with no hair and an imposing build. Max blinked in surprise. _This guy?_  
  
"Hello, honey," he purred, brushing one finger across her cheek. "I thought I'd say goodbye before I went off on my business trip."  
  
"Oh, you've got a few hours," she murmured sleepily. "C'mere."  
  
Max blanched and quickly concentrated on the next date. No way was he going to stick around and watch THAT. _September 12, 1979..._  
  
This time it was a bit less perverse. The man was just leaving, and his mother gave him a fast kiss, her belly slightly rounded. Max did a bit of mental math and figured that since he'd been born in March, she had to be about three months along. He followed the man at a leisurely walk, wondering where he was going. He got distracted by a newscast for a moment, and barely noticed the man slipping into an alleyway.  
  
Max followed him in, only to find the man's clothes in a crumpled heap on the ground. He stared at the pile for a few moments, then started digging into his clothes, eventually coming up with a wallet. "Richard?" he asked himself, staring at the ID. After a moment, he pocketed the wallet and concentrated on his proper time.

He got back to his room and opened up the wallet, studying the contents. There wasn't much in the wallet aside from a few five dollar bills, a driver's licence, and a picture of his mother. Max pulled out the license and studied it carefully. Richard was about six feet tall, with blue eyes and apparently had blond hair, although he apparently shaved his head. He seemed to be smirking, as if he knew something that you didn't. There was a vague resembelance to someone, he could see it, but Max couldn't place whom. With a sigh, he put the wallet in his desk drawer and closed it tightly.

* * *

  
Shortly before Christmas, his mother called him into the living room. "Here," she said, handing him a picture. "I know I didn't want to talk about him, but you do need to know about him sooner or later. This is your father, Richard." She paused. "I was barely three months pregnant with you when he just… up and left," she said, sighing quietly. "I didn't know what to do. I tried to forget about him, but…"  
  
Max stared at the picture. There was something eerily familiar about it, just like there had been with the ID. "Uh, Mom, cam I borrow this? I just want to run to the corner store and make a couple copies. Wouldn't want to mess this up, ya know." Without waiting for an answer, he sprinted off.  
  
The girl behind the counter jumped when he came in. "Hey, how much are copies?" he asked.  
  
"Five cents each, plus tax," she said, pushing up her glasses. 

Max nodded and went back to the copier, pulling the back off the frame and making four copies of the picture for later. He dashed out the door, tossing a five dollar bill at the clerk.  "Keep the change!" he hollered as he sped out. She blinked, pulled a quarter from her pocket and tossed it into the till before stuffing the bill into her wallet.  
  
Late that night, Max studied the picture, trying to find out why it made him so uneasy. Almost as an afterthought, he started doodling, adding in a few lines round the shoulders. And the waist. And finally the hand. He took a sip of his soda, only half-looking at the result, then took a better look and choked on his soda.  
  
Skullmaster's visage glowered at him from the paper.


End file.
